The Moment I Changed
by Daughter of Pallas Athena
Summary: Warning. Contains spoilers to The Battle of the Labyrinth. What were Annabeth Chase's thoughts and emotions when she left Percy to face the telkines in Mt. St. Helen's, alone?


**Welcome to my second story! Honestly, I'm quite impressed with myself right now. Two stories in two days. Yay! Anyway, please review. It really means a lot to an aspiring author such as myself. **

**WARNING. Contains spoilers to The Battle of the Labyrinth. So I highly caution those who have not finished the book. **

**With that out of the way, I hope that all will enjoy this little flash in to Annabeth's mind. **

**I, in no way, shape, or form have any claim to Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It is the property of Rick Riordan and the Disney operated company, Hyperion. **

**The Moment I Changed**

Agony…love…and jealousy. As a daughter of Athena, I never thought that I would ever experience such…illogical emotions. Oh Zeus, was I wrong.

**Deep within the bowels of Mt. St. Helen's…**

I knew I should not have left Seaweed Brain alone to fight those telkines, but the pleading look in those sea green eyes broke my resolve. I…I didn't think that he would make it out alive, though of course, I was praying fiercely to whatever god that would hear for him to survive.

As I stood there before him, monsters nearly upon us, my emotions were mingled all together, and I couldn't tell anger from sorrow. What really didn't help was the fact that my feelings for Percy were still undecided, morphing constantly from friendship to something more. With the chaos rampaging in my mind, I went against nearly everything that my mother stood for.

I made a rash decision, influenced by emotions. I kissed my best friend and son of Poseidon, Percy Jackson and like a coward, I dashed away before he could respond.

When I reentered the Labyrinth, I expected to come face to face with some monster, but as I dashed through the halls, following the metal spider, I encountered no obstacles. Tears poured down my face, blurring my vision for I was in no immediate danger, unlike Percy. He was fighting for his life and I was following a stupid mechanical spider. I was very tempted to abandon my task and rush to Percy's aid, but I knew in my heart that I would not be of any real help.

Reluctantly, I followed the spider back to Hephaestus' work shop.

Two weeks. He's been…gone two weeks and today we're holding his…funeral. I knew he couldn't be dead. I didn't care what I saw on the news, what had happened at Mt. St. Helen's. Because…he just couldn't be. Percy and I have been through so much. A group of juvenile monsters couldn't kill him, could they?

No…no they couldn't. It's not possible. But an explosion could…I banished that thought from my mind the second it was formed. Percy was alive, just…lost at the moment.

Everyone has been watching me with sympathy in their eyes, in their voices, but I know that it's unneeded. I would know if he was gone. Because…because I just would.

During the past weeks, I have felt immeasurable pain. For days after my immediate return I had been inconsolable. Until I had my epiphany. For so long I didn't understand the immense grief I was suffering. Percy was a friend, I should be upset, but I didn't think that it should be to such a degree. But then, I thought back on everything. Every glance, every touch, every argument.

Percy had never been a friend and neither had I. We had always been much more, but neither of us knew it at the time. When I thought I loved Luke, I was only covering my true feelings, the feelings for Percy. I had never loved Luke more than a brother. On the eighth day after I returned from the Labyrinth alone, I changed. Percy couldn't be dead, I would know if he was…I love him.

Standing before the pyre, it was harder to remember that I knew Percy wasn't dead. I didn't know where he was…but I had a lingering idea. Which, truthfully, tormented me more than the thought of Percy being dead.

Then, as I was about to cast the beautiful Poseidon burial shroud, which's color reminded me painfully of Percy's eyes, he appeared. For the first time in what seemed forever since I had met that son of Poseidon, I was right. He wasn't dead. I dashed toward him and threw my arms around him. After two weeks of complete agony, I was whole.

Of course, my peace of mind didn't last. Peace and Percy were impossible to reconcile. My soaring heart was shattered when I heard what had held Percy for two, torturous weeks. May that cursed woman, Calypso, rot in Tartarus. For the first time in my fifteen years on the planet, I wished that I was wrong.


End file.
